Five Reasons Why It's Great to Be a Masters Swimmer in 2017

2016 was a massive year for the sport of swimming. The Rio games featured some of the most exhilarating races, storylines and epic memes (#phelpsface) in the sport. Who didn't love watching Ryan Held show pure joy and emotion of winning his first gold medal, juxtaposed with Michael Phelps winning his 99th? Or the three-way tie for the silver medal in the men’s 100 meter fly?

At SwimSpray, we are excited as more and more adult and masters swimmers enjoyed the benefits of eliminating chlorine from their hair and skin. An increasing number of adults have been reaching out to us and share their “SwimSpray Story” along with the incredible “before and after” effects they now experience when using SwimSpray after swimming.

In return, we asked several of our masters swimming friends, “Why is 2017 the best year to be an adult or masters swimmer?”

Based on their responses, these are five reasons is great to be a masters swimmer in 2017:

Stay Connected with a network of friends: Let’s face it, swimming is not an easy sport to do aloe. Swimming to improve your health, stay fit, be competitive and work on your technique are all great goals. Having a group of like-minded friends to go through the process with you is even better. Dan Phillips, 53, of Puget Sound Masters said "Swimming with a masters team is great because it has helped me build a group of friends who are positive regardless of what life has thrown at them.” Mollie Grover, 35, of Potomac Valley Masters Swimming agrees that friendships are the best part of continuing to swim in 2017. “Masters Swimming has some of the nicest, friendliest people out there. Swimming in 2017 is fun because these are the people to keep you accountable on your fitness goals,” per Mollie.

It’s still the best calorie burn: Regardless of your age or the latest workout craze, swimming is still the best when it comes to burning calories. In just one workout you can hit multiple energy systems, work every muscle in your body, expand your cardio and even work on firing your fast twitch muscle fibers (if you still have any left). Jeff Strahota, 36, of University of Maryland Aquatics loves swimming in 2017 because, “I still get to burn calories like it’s 1999! Great workouts of both quality AND quantity help keeping me fit and trim!”

A healthy, competitive outlet: Competing at meets and racing old friends and teammates is possibly of the best outlets for masters swimmers there is. What’s fun now about racing is that for many of us, the pressure to perform at a high level is reduced, if not gone completely. You can focus on the fun of travelling to a meet, seeing your friends do well or racing new competitors as you “age up.” For many masters swimmers, racing becomes a family event and it’s always pretty cool being able to show your kids that you’ve still “got it.”

2017 is the best year to improve technique: It is no secret that the times in swimming are getting faster and faster. When you watch swimming on TV or YouTube, you will notice the near flawless technique that these athletes are using. One of the best things about swimming in 2017 is the availability of resources to help you improve your own technique. Underwater video of the best strokes, starts, turns, dolphin kicking, pull-outs has never been more easily available than right now. “With more educational opportunities and more coaching resources, the quest for the best technique may finally come to a close!” said Jeff Strahota.

Setting new goals: What is extremely motivating about being a masters swimmer in 2017 is the constant feedback you are able to receive when you train or compete. In addition to the health benefits and friends we get from swimming, a major motivating factor is the goal setting process. Being able to set long term goals and then break them down into daily habits - is one of the most motivating things in life. Dan Phillips put it best, “Masters Swimming is great every year because it challenges me to both keep learning and to apply those lessons. I can't think of many other parts of my life that have such a clear feedback loop for efforts and results.”

Did you like this article? Contact SwimSpray and let us know what you want to learn more about. Check out our "Chlorine, Hair and Skin Blog" to read articles and tips about how to protect your hair and skin from the smell, itch and discomfort that results from swimming in chlorinated water. In the mean time, we at SwimSpray are excited to learn more about you and your “SwimSpray story." Please contact us and share yours. Maybe you will be the next feature in our SwimSpray Blog!